There’s been a tectonic shift in the way people are looking at property investments right now. In 2021, 63% buyers bought their homes without visiting them physically and 92% of them say they use the internet to start their house hunting journey.
This massive shift towards buying homes online has made real estate marketing more competitive than ever. To get ahead, real estate agents need a marketing strategy that demonstrates emotional credibility, factual accuracy, and user-driven functionality at every step of the marketing funnel.
In this guide, we will look at some unique real estate marketing ideas that will get you results. Starting from real estate advertising ideas that are easy to implement, we’ll take you through a range of actionable ideas that you can leverage to spread the word, get your buyers excited, and help them find their dream home with ease.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to generate real estate leads in 2022:
1. Create SEO optimized websites to improve discoverability
2. Showcase customer testimonials to build credibility
3. Run geo-targeted ads
4. Send out regular updates
5. Connect with potential buyers in your community through Instagram or Facebook live
6. Create video walkthroughs of your properties
7. Create content on social media to build authority
8. List properties on online marketplaces
9. Don’t neglect newspaper listings
10. Build your network
Let’s jump right in!
1. Create SEO optimized websites to improve discoverability
As more and more real estate decisions are moving online, getting in front of the right audience is becoming increasingly difficult. For agents or agencies looking to drive conversions and get discovered by the right customers, an SEO-optimized website has never been more important.
SEO helps optimize your online content to attract people through organic search results by appearing on the first page of a search engine like Google. To make sure your website ranks, you’ll need to develop a strong focus on creating content that includes keywords and links for terms that your target audience is searching for.
But in the highly competitive arena of real estate marketing, this isn’t always enough. Google also prioritizes websites that deliver a great user experience and are optimized for mobile - so you’ll have to make sure your site delivers on a number of factors outside keywords to rank highly.
For example, Compass, one of the top real estate companies in the US, also delivers one of the best user experiences for buyers and sellers.
Take a look at their homepage. Potential customers can easily search for what they’re looking for as the search bar is front and center. They also showcase exciting new properties for anyone that isn’t sure about their search criteria or is looking to explore. What’s more, even though their site contains a lot of high-quality images, it still loads super fast.
How to implement this idea:
To make sure your own real estate website is optimized for SEO, here are a few key tips to keep in mind:
Tip #1 - Write great content
The main goal of SEO is to help visitors find what they need on your website - so good quality content should be your top priority. Focus on writing articles that potential clients will find useful, clear their doubts, and include information they can’t find elsewhere. High-quality content will give your website a boost and help it rank better in online searches - which means more property buyers will be able to discover your website, your listings, and your contact information.
If keyword research or writing isn’t your forte, hiring someone part-time for both these roles is a good idea since it will reap dividends. All you’ll have to do is oversee the process, provide key insights and make sure your writer maintains a language and tone that is in keeping with your agency’s brand. Consider using services like FatJoe, Upwork or CrowdContent to get the job done. For some inspiration to get you started, check out BiggerPockets for some great examples of real estate writing.
Tip #2 - Go mobile-first
With more than half of all website traffic (54 percent) coming from mobile devices, you can’t ignore responsive design. Google also prioritizes responsive sites in their search indexing, which means you’ll be likely to rank higher than sites that aren’t designed for mobile devices. A few other ways to improve your website user experience on mobile include improving page speed, ensuring your website’s design adapts well to smaller tablet and phone screen sizes, and ensuring any pop-ups you might be using on your site aren’t blocking anything when viewed on a mobile.
Tip #3 - Integrate an IDX search tool or platforms like Zillow on your page
As we saw above, search tools are a critical component of any real estate website since people need to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Integrating an IDX tool on your site is a great way to achieve this. IDX integrates real estate listings from a multiple listings service (MLS) and displays them on your website, allowing buyers to search and find properties easily on your site. What makes IDX so great is that listings are updated every few hours, and the database is really comprehensive. You could also use integrations from platforms like Zillow or Trulia which incorporate IDX as well as independent sellers on their platform. If you live outside the US or Canada, you could also check out Zoopla (UK), and Magic Bricks (India).
Tip #4 - Adopt a local approach
Creating highly informative city-specific content can really help with your SEO discoverability, since people looking to buy are likely to research the neighborhood they’re interested in as well. Writing blogs that talk about different cities and localities in detail will not only help prospective buyers learn more about the neighborhood, but also help them make more informed buying decisions. You should also make sure you’re easy to contact by claiming your Google My Business listing and optimize it for search to appear in the right locations.
Before we move on to the other real estate marketing ideas, remember to keep in mind that SEO is a long-term game. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t see results immediately - it can take a few months! For some more SEO tips for real estate marketing, check out this InVideo guide, or view the video below:
2. Showcase customer testimonials to build credibility
One of the best ways to market your real estate business is to let your clients do the talking. Social proof remains one of the most powerful tactics to convince customers that you’re the right person for the job - in fact, 62 percent of homebuyers said they made a decision to contact an agent based on positive online reviews.
Testimonials from previously satisfied clients are an excellent way to show new or potential clients how you’ve helped others in the past and bolster your credibility and trustworthiness.
You could choose to have a testimonials page on your website or you could shoot video testimonials of your clients - this is particularly useful since a joint study by NAR and Google found that 25 percent of the people surveyed, specifically seek out videos of customer testimonials when choosing a real estate agent.
Take a look at this video testimonial by clients of realtor Zach McDonald from the McDonald Real Estate Group to see how it’s done:
How to implement this idea:
There are a number of ways to collect testimonials from short surveys, phone interviews, and of course, videos. While most clients would be willing to fill in a feedback form, not everyone will want to appear on the video. Check with your previous clients about what they’d be most comfortable with and get their written permission to use the information they provide on your website and other real estate marketing collateral.
When collecting testimonials for marketing as a realtor, asking the right questions is key. You want to get your clients talking and collect first-hand accounts of them talking about your effectiveness, qualifications, personality, character, background, plus collect specific client experiences that will give potential new clients something they can relate to.
Pro tip: Once you have all the information you need from your past clients, you can turn them into compelling videos, using video testimonial templates on InVideo. Simply add your video footage and text to customize the template to your specific needs.
And before you go ahead and publish testimonials, are a few key tips to keep in mind while collecting testimonials:
- Set expectations from the start: Let clients know up front that you'd like a review once the process is over, and that you'll do everything you can to make sure they have an outstanding experience
- Include links to reviews in real estate marketing material: Make it super easy for anyone to access your reviews - have them on your homepage, brochures, and anywhere you feel they might be relevant
-Create a page for reviews on your website: Having one page with all your reviews and testimonials helps clients see all the ways in which you’ve solved problems and found houses for your clients. Don’t forget to make it really easy for them to get in touch - place your number or email address really clearly on the page! For example, take a look at the Joe Hayden Real Estate team’s testimonial page below. Their phone number is clearly highlighted on the right and the page has a chat window where potential clients could leave a message easily.
- Offer incentives: To make sure you collect as many of those all-important reviews as possible, offer clients an incentive to do so - it could be something small like a goodie bag, a raffle, or free merchandise.
3. Run geo-targeted ads
One of the best tactics to use when marketing your real estate business is to target specific areas as far as possible. A great way to do this is to use geo-targeted ads have your ads show up to people in a specific location. When it comes to building recognition in a local market, geo targeted marketing is as effective as it gets. Honing in and focusing on specific locations can drastically improve your results and actually result in more business than if you focused on broader, more general areas.
Agents can choose to display different content for their ads based on geographic locations so as to reach people that are most likely to be looking for houses in a particular area. According to a study by Factual, a location data company, 80 percent of the marketers they surveyed said that location-based marketing receives higher response rates and more customer engagement than other traditional forms of marketing.
Instead of trying to be the number one agent in your entire city, why not be the number one agent in a specific neighborhood? When you focus on your local market, you can deliver ads that speak directly to the people and culture of your community, showing off your deep understanding of your area in the process.
Take a look at this ad from Northern Atlanta Real Estate - it provides useful information for a very specific audience - people looking for one storied homes in Canton and Woodstock. It also includes a phone number in the description so people can call right away!
How to implement this idea:
Most social media sites that run ads offer location-based advertising, and it’s pretty easy to specify exactly where you’d like these ads to be displayed. You’ll need to experiment with just how wide or narrow your geo-targeted ads should be. Facebook allows you to target ads as specific as a small radius around a location. You can create an audience of people in an area that you want to work in and advertise only to them. This level of specificity requires you to have specific goals for your ad in order to succeed.
For example, you’ll have to recognise that your ad is going to be for people already in the area, and you might therefore miss out on those looking to move from out-of-state. That’s okay! Tailor your ad for your audience (you can target out-of-towners through different means), and you’re likely to increase your prospect list and ROI.
Learn more about how you can maximize Facebook ads here.
Finally, don’t forget to set up or claim your Google My Business account so that you’re easily found on search engines because you are a highly rated company close to where someone is searching from.
For more on how to use geo-targeting for Facebook or Instagram, check out this video:
Why use geo-targeted ads?
- Selective: Location-based advertising allows you to choose clients who fit your business model and exclude the ones who don’t. You can also select exactly who sees your ad and tailor your message to them.
- Budget-friendly: Set your ad spend lower. Since you’ll be sending ads only to people who are likely to engage with them, you won’t have to spend large amounts of money on ads people aren’t interested in seeing.
- Strategy: Location-based advertising allows you to tailor ads to audiences with very specific needs. If there’s an area in town with a lot of drive-by viewings, you can set up a geofence around the area and deliver ads that reference the neighborhood and your expertise in the area.
By making your marketing hyperlocal, you can build the kind of recognition and connection to your community that makes you the first name people think of when they want to buy or sell a home.
4. Send out regular updates
Engaging with prospects regularly is not the most unique real estate marketing idea, but it does work. Sending out regular emails and Whatsapp updates frame you as a trusted advisor for current clients, generates interest in your listings, and keeps you at the top of potential clients' minds.
You can do this by sending out emailers, WhatsApp updates or even having phone calls with your contacts. You can even outsource this work to inside sales agents who can do all the legwork for you. However, you need to ensure your updates deliver value to your audience. Don’t just list houses or have your ISAs cold calling potential customers because that can get irritating pretty quickly.
Include helpful content that your audience will find useful such as local real estate news, helpful checklists, and advice on how to buy or sell a house in your newsletters. As for calls keep them short and ask for their permission before you give your offer.
For example, Smith and Berg’s newsletter includes attractive full-width images with a single call-to-action for each section to keep things really simple. Besides showing great offers for houses in their newsletter, they also include useful location-specific tips and advice to bring even more value to their recipients.
Consider sending out video updates in your emails, as video gets 81 percent more responses than regular text and image emails. You can do this easily by using InVideo’s real estate templates to create stunning videos for your emails.
Jay Carden from RE/MAX properties doubled his growth solely through video emails. He sends personalized emails to prospects via BombBomb, a video email service. Here’s an example of a thank you message he sends to his clients.
How to implement this idea:
- Send regular newsletters using an email marketing system such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact or Aweber
- Get a Whatsapp for Business account to easily monitor and respond to text queries
- Install a chatbot software like ManyChat on your Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger accounts so customers receive quick and informative responses, and you can easily follow up with them later.
- Sign up for a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in your area to receive a host of property listings that you can then share regularly with your prospective clients. The US has over 500 MLS offered by brokerage firms - so it shouldn’t be too hard to get a subscription in your location!
As a real estate agent, you’ll know how critical following up with leads as quickly as possible is to close a deal. Sending out regular updates and marketing material that delivers value is a fast and reliable way to communicate with a prospective home buyer or seller so you can build valuable relationships with ease.
5. Connect with potential buyers in your community through Instagram or Facebook live
The key to building your brand on Facebook or Instagram (and really any social media platforms) is to become great at getting your followers to engage with you and make things as interactive as possible.
Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular platforms for real estate marketing. So focus on these two if you’re just getting started implementing some real estate marketing ideas.
Live streaming on Facebook or leveraging Instagram Live, gives your audience a chance to interact with you, see how you work, and get a sense of what buying and selling houses is really like. You also don’t need to worry too much about expensive camera equipment and production planning since your audience will expect you to be shooting from your smartphone.
A live video puts the audience in the room, giving them the full experience of what it was like to be there. For example, realtor Stuart Benson regularly live streams his home auctions so prospective clients get a feel for how an auction is run.
How to implement this idea:
There are a number of ways in which you can use live streams to connect with your audience:
- Live stream different segments of your day-to-day routine - this will help prospects see how you work and learn more about what realtors can do for them
- Host Q&As with your audience or interview buyers to talk about their challenges and give advice
- Give your audience a view of some of your latest properties (more on this in the next section)
- Interview colleagues or other agents and ask them for helpful advice for buyers and sellers
- Live stream your real estate auction like Stuart Benson above!
Check out this guide to real estate video marketing for some more ideas and tips!
6. Create video walkthroughs of your properties
More than 86 percent of potential home buyers seek out video content during the house hunting process. A study from Realtor.com, shows listings which offer virtual tours receive 87 percent more views than properties which don’t have any.
People are looking for houses online more than ever - and in a time when travel is restricted and people are cautious about visiting houses, video walkthroughs can help with making critical buying decisions.
Video walkthroughs offer more insight into how a home is realistically represented and provides potential buyers with a sense of spacing and layout that images can’t always capture.
For example, Lisney, one of Ireland’s most trusted property advisors used video walkthroughs on Facebook Live to showcase their properties and got more than 30,000 organic views in the process.
Click on the image below to see an example of the full video.
The campaign used Facebook Live to broadcast real-time house tours of a variety of attractive properties. Filmed on a mobile phone and conducted by Lisney’s expert agents, the Facebook Live viewings allowed potential homebuyers to take an in-depth look at these properties from the comfort of their homes.
The expert agents featured in the tours also became recognizable faces of expertise in the wider industry.
How to implement this idea:
Conduct live walkthroughs on Facebook and Instagram Live or shoot more professionally edited videos to add to your listings online. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on this - just make sure you have a high quality smartphone and decent video editing software like InVideo which has a ton of real estate marketing video templates to get you started.
7. Create content on social media to build authority
As a real estate agent, you want to be seen as a person of authority who knows their domain better than anyone else. Content is one of the best real estate marketing strategies which will help you achieve this. And the most important characteristics for high-quality content are expertise, authority and trustworthiness.
Sharing useful or insightful content positions you as an authority figure and helps build trust - and people that trust your brand will advocate on its behalf. You can also use social media to drive traffic back to your website and increase your conversion rates.
For many real estate agents, social media has turned out to be one of the best ways to connect with potential buyers. The influence of social media platforms such as Facebook, and Instagram has made a huge impact on the real estate market. In fact, according to NAR, 77 percent of realtors actively use social media for real estate.
It's important to recognize that every social channel attracts different types of leads and is suitable for different types of digital content. However, one thing that is consistent across the board is the high conversion rate of videos. Creating and sharing real estate marketing videos on social media will increase your views and engagement rates like nothing else. Think about using Invideo’s real estate marketing video templates to create videos quickly and easily.
You will definitely need to adapt the type of content to the platform you're posting it on. For example, take a look at this Instagram post by realtor Lance Tuazon:
Lance is using the platform to showcase images of new properties - this doesn’t have a ton of information and that’s because Instagram prioritizes photos - it isn’t the place for a detailed blog post on the house and its features. Instead, he includes a quick summary of its location, key features, and how to get in touch with him for more. There’s also a ton of hashtags to make the images more easily discoverable.
How to implement this idea:
Here are a few key ways you can use social media to establish authority:
- Join local Facebook groups, and answer relevant questions on them to demonstrate knowledge and authority
- Post videos and photos of properties on Instagram as well as Facebook consistently to generate new leads.
- Create videos for Instagram Reels and on TikTok to stay on top of trends and reach a wider audience.
- Don’t just publish content but actively engage with users. Check and respond to comments and messages from potential leads once a day.
- Conduct live sessions or webinars to connect with your audience in real time
For more ideas on how you can leverage social media for real estate marketing in 2022, check this out:
Prospective clients want to connect with real estate agents that understand the practice, their niche, and their areas — show that you have a grasp on all of those with your social media presence.
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What is the best real estate marketing tool? According to a study by the National Association of Realtors and Google, Facebook (97 percent), LinkedIn (59 percent and Instagram (39 percent) are the best social media marketing tools for real estate. A big reason for Facebook’s popularity is that its user demographics represent the target audience for any given real estate business - age and income-wise. The business features built into Facebook are also perfect for real estate businesses since agents can publish listing-related updates, communicate with customers, and curate reviews in a single platform. |
8. List properties on online marketplaces
The National Association of Realtors recently reported that 88 percent of buyers found their homes on the internet, 30 percent found homes through an agent, and a dwindling 7 percent discovered their eventual home through an open house. Zillow alone attracts more than 2 million customers a day – and you just can’t ignore that volume!
Make sure you list your properties on online marketplaces to get them in front of as many potential buyers as possible. Many real estate websites also provide free profiles for agents across the US housing market. Agents are able to claim their profile and fill in their information such as name, brokerage, contact information, area of expertise, and covered markets. Having a strong profile on these sites will also encourage potential buyers and sellers to contact you to sell their homes.
How to implement this idea:
With almost half of buyers looking for homes online, you can’t stay away from online platforms. You might have your own website and a strong social media presence but neglecting to establish yourself on these real estate platforms can be a costly mistake. Make sure you own and claim your profile or business on all key platforms and work towards establishing a reputation - along with great reviews and testimonials.
Here are a few top online real estate marketplaces you should definitely be on:
- Zillow: one of the largest real estate marketplaces online with millions of listings
- Trulia: a marketplace that’s focused on smaller neighborhoods and allows you to make some great local connections (now a subsidiary of Zillow)
- Redfin: a full-service real estate brokerage that also offers an online marketplace for you to find and post homes for sale
You can add your listings to Zillow or Trulia manually, but most agents will do this by sending listings to Zillow through direct listing feeds — either from brokerages and MLS or through third-party feed services. Listing feeds automatically update your listings across platforms, and save you the time manually updating multiple listings across different platforms.
Here are a few tips on how you can use Zillow (and similar platforms), as a real estate agent:
9. Don’t neglect newspaper listings
While print ads aren’t used as often as they used to be because of the abundance and low cost of online advertising but they’re still a trustworthy medium. According to a survey by eMarketer.com, 82 percent of Americans said they trusted newspapers and magazine ads more than digital advertising. Print ads also reinforce your brand by giving clients a tangible item to hold on to and remember.
Newspapers still run ads for properties and many agents consider it an effective medium to generate leads - especially with an older demographic. If budget is an issue, consider running print ads in smaller newspapers for a hyperlocal reach since larger papers like the New York Times can charge thousands of dollars for advertising in their real estate section.
You could also include a Quick Response code (QR code) that directs customers from your print ad to your website or other online portal so you can continue to tell your real estate “story” to potential clients.
Watch this video for more insight into why print ads still work for real estate marketing:
10. Focus on building a solid network
In order to grow and sustain in the real estate space you need to build and nurture a strong network consisting of clients, realtors and brokerage firms. To be able to do that you will also need to build a solid database of contacts that you can leverage over the years. All of the above marketing activities help you do that to an extent but here are a few things you want to actively focus on as well:
- Attending networking events: Brokerage firms and real estate investors often host networking events and conferences, which are a great opportunity for agents to meet and learn about what’s happening in the industry. This also helps you get genuine leads, build contacts with other realtors in the area and grow your footprint.
- Join niche communities based on your interests: Being a real estate agent doesn’t just mean you have to constantly make sales. You need to build genuine relationships with people if you want to grow. Joining neighborhood communities where your ideal clients hang out is a good way of going about. Become a part of communities – cycling, music, urban planning etc. – where your common interest overlaps so that you can also be a value add there.
- Take part in volunteer activities: Volunteering in community activities and organizations really helps you build credibility and helps people trust you more, making it more likely that they will buy from you in the future.
Besides networking events, you could also join Facebook and Whatsapp groups (check out this really comprehensive list of Whatsapp groups for agents across the US) to get advice and interact with agents.
Wrapping Up
Having a solid real estate marketing strategy is a must for agents in 2022. Using these real estate marketing ideas, you'll not only be able to draw more leads and establish a credible reputation for your business, but you'll also be able to stay ahead of the curve in an industry that’s highly competitive!
Before you go, you might also want to check out this guide to the best digital marketing tools for real estate or learn about some tips to increase your sales in 2022.
FAQs
1. What is a real estate marketing campaign?
A real estate marketing campaign is a written guide for investors to promote themselves and their businesses. It outlines your sales goals for the campaign, establishes a detailed budget and the tactics and marketing strategies you will use to achieve these goals.
2. What are the 4 Ps of marketing in real estate?
The 4 P’s are namely- Product (Property), Promotions, Price, and Place. Property: The “product” as it pertains to real estate is more than just the physical home; it is the characteristics of the house that make it desirable to potential buyers. When a real estate agent understands what makes a property unique, they can adequately target a specific type of buyer.
Promotions: Good realtors promote their seller’s “product” to those potential buyers by communicating the property’s unique characteristics with several different promotional materials and through many channels but specifically the channels that are more likely to reach the targeted buyers determined in the product evaluation.
Price: The price of the product is an essential aspect because a property is more likely to sell in a timely manner if it is adequately priced.
Place: Distribution placement is a primary factor in the successful sale of a property because any real estate agent could present your property to a potential buyer. Therefore, when marketing a property, it is vital to market not only to prospective buyers but to other potential distributors (real estate agents) as well.
3. What are some marketing ideas for a new real estate agent?
Apart from the marketing ideas for real estate we’ve covered above, here are some more unique real estate marketing ideas you can use as a new agent:
(1) Employ virtual staging - use a virtual staging website to give users a sneak peak into what their property could look like once done up
(2) Try experiential marketing by hosting a tour of the area you’re selling in or host a Q&A event for new buyers in a home you’re selling
(3) Partner with local businesses like clothing boutiques, home decor showrooms, and coffee shops and get them to promote your listings.
(4) Use drone photography to take sweeping shots of the home’s exterior and surrounding landscape to add an excitement factor to your listings.
(5) Conduct 3D tours to introduce clients located far away to the home - 3D tours are also great as they’re available 24/7 and you won’t need to make sure everything in the home is spotless!
